No matter how you spin it, there's no good way to look at the public-safety problems stemming from St. Cloud State University's move-in weekend.

Thirty people were booked at Stearns County Jail, and 223 people were cited for various offenses — both substantial increases from 2013. Among the citations were more than 180 related to alcohol.

There are, though, some factors that provide perspective.

Nighttime focus

The St. Cloud Police Department said in a news release Monday it put more staffing and enforcement efforts into the evenings, citing specifically activity in downtown and across the south side.

Knowing how dangerous those areas could be at night, especially after bars close, increasing those patrols makes sense — even if it virtually guarantees more arrests and citations.

Similarly, the department said it plans to continue such enforcement efforts through the school year. That approach is welcome, not only to improve public safety after dark, but to give residents of that neighborhood peace and quiet.

Know who is causing trouble

In keeping with previous recent move-in weekend tallies, the majority of people cited were not St. Cloud State students. Let's repeat that: The majority of people cited — 55 percent — were not current St. Cloud State students.

With most of the trouble-makers not current students, many questions arise, including who are they, where are they from and why are they using move-in weekend to cause problems?

While the university is expected to do its part to hold those 100 students accountable, a larger question is what can the courts do to hold the majority of nonstudent violators accountable so that similar behavior diminishes?

Not new, not alone

Finally, it bears repeating that such trouble during move-in weekend is not new here nor in other cities with big colleges.

For example, Mankato and Winona — Minnesota cities with state universities also holding move-in weekends — showed close to 50 calls involving loud parties, liquor violations and the like. And then there was Arizona State University in Tempe, where police made 392 arrests on Saturday night alone — 10 times as many as here.

Hey, wait, maybe there is a positive way to spin our numbers.

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